Colin Montgomerie says Rory McIlroy is the \u201cbest European golfer ever\u201d \u2013 but what do our rankings say?<\/p>\n
At the end of a career-defining year for Rory McIlroy, Colin Montgomerie is in no doubt that the Northern Irishman is now the \u201cbest European golfer ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIlroy\u2019s year has been superb \u2013 triumph at the Masters, with it the career Grand Slam, Ryder Cup glory, Irish Open joy, plus wins at iconic American venues TPC Sawgrass and Pebble Beach \u2013 but so, too, has been his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that Rory has won all four majors, I think you\u2019d have to put him ahead of [Nick] Faldo and say that Rory is the best European player ever to play,\u201d Montgomerie told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cRory has achieved what no European player has achieved in the past by winning the career grand slam.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIlroy himself has said that Montgomerie is \u201cunderrated\u201d given that he won so much during the golden age of European golf.<\/p>\n
But where do the best European golfers actually rank? We\u2019ve created a points system to end the argument and limited it to the modern era (since the end of the Second World War).<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s see how it works and who comes out on top!<\/p>\n
Golf365 points system:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Major championship wins: 3 points for each (2 point bonus for the Career Grand Slam)
\u2022 DP World Tour Order of Merit wins: 1 point each
\u2022 Most DP World Tour wins: 3 points for first, 2 points for second, 1 points for third
\u2022 Most PGA Tour wins (for Europeans): 3 points for first, 2 points for second, 1 points for third
\u2022 Most Ryder Cup points: 5 for first, 4 for second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth, 1 for fifth<\/p>\n
1. Rory McIlroy \u2013 27 points<\/p>\n
The numbers back up Monty\u2019s opinion although it\u2019s worth noting that it was the career Grand Slam that took the Northern Irishman into clear first place.<\/p>\n
The overall case for his supremacy is so strong: those five majors, the crucial fact that he\u2019s won all four of them, the seven Order of Merit titles and no European has won more PGA Tour titles than he has (he is also closing in on the top five European scorers in the Ryder Cup in seventh place).<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t overlook his eight second or third place finishes in the majors either. It indicates his quality and his impact is significant too \u2013 he\u2019s an off the course leader whose thoughts move the sport\u2019s needle.<\/p>\n
2. Severiano Ballesteros \u2013 25 points<\/p>\n
The great Seve has been caught numerically by McIlroy in majors wins (5) and Order of Merit wins (6), and four golfers have now bettered his Ryder Cup tally. But he remains the only winner of 50 DP World Tour titles.<\/p>\n
Numbers are not everything, of course. In terms of influence no-one will ever overtake the Spaniard. He was Europe\u2019s revolutionary leader in the 1970s and 80s. He dragged his peers into world class company and they won majors and Ryder Cups alongside him.<\/p>\n
He did burn at his brightest for just a brief period, however, and McIlroy has already bettered him in that regard. The 1-2 is fair.<\/p>\n
3. Nick Faldo \u2013 20 points<\/p>\n
The Englishman is deservedly in the top three and it\u2019s worth noting the gap between himself and fourth place. It suggests that it will take a long time before he is overtaken and that is a sharp reminder of his quality.<\/p>\n
Indeed, his tally of six major wins places him ahead of the top two, but he won just the two Order of Merits. He\u2019s also a little unfortunate to lose out on PGA Tour win points because he won there when just to compete in America was unusual.<\/p>\n
He did have an impact on the game but it was always with the hand brake on. Unlike McIlroy and Ballesteros he lacks natural charisma, although he did reveal more personality as a TV commentator.<\/p>\n
4. Bernhard Langer \u2013 13 points<\/p>\n
The quiet man of European golf. The German overcame chronic back injuries and the yips to win for the first time on the DP World Tour \u2013 at which points very few of his peers believed he\u2019d win again never mind become a legend.<\/p>\n
He has won two Masters titles, two Order of Merits, is the second winningest golfer on the DP World Tour and remains third in Europe\u2019s Ryder Cup points winning list. All of it is a consequence of an outrageous work ethic and no little skill.<\/p>\n
5. Colin Montgomerie \u2013 11 points<\/p>\n
The Scot is often remembered for what he didn\u2019t achieve in the game (no major win, no win on the PGA Tour) rather than what he did \u2013 and that\u2019s really not very fair.<\/p>\n
His tally of eight DP World Tour Order of Merits remains the greatest and only Ballesteros and Langer have won more tournaments on the circuit. He is also fourth on the list of most European Ryder Cup points and was a giant for the continent.<\/p>\n
=6. Henry Cotton \u2013 10 points<\/p>\n
A surprise appearance for the Englishman who only just squeezes into the reckoning with a third and final Open win in 1948 (he also won twice in the 1930s). His Order of Merit win, such as it was then, came in 1938.<\/p>\n
=6. Padraig Harrington \u2013 10 points<\/p>\n
The Irishman ties Cotton thanks to his stunning run of majors success in 2007 and 2008 when he landed back-to-back Open triumphs followed by a PGA Championship. He was also the Order of Merit winner in 2006.<\/p>\n
=8. Sandy Lyle \u2013 9 points<\/p>\n
The Scot\u2019s third European Order of Merit title was secured with victory in the 1985 Open. Three years later he won the 1988 Masters and in-between he became the first non-American winner of the Players Championship.<\/p>\n
=8. Sergio Garcia \u2013 9 points<\/p>\n
Just the one major win for the Spaniard but he has an impressive tally of 11 PGA Tour wins (also including the Players) and he leaps into the top 10 by remaining the most prolific winner of points for Europe in the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n
10. Lee Westwood \u2013 7 points<\/p>\n
Like Montgomerie, the Englishman couldn\u2019t win a major but he came very close: nine times second or third, in fact. He was stellar in Europe (three Order of Merits) and also in the Ryder Cup (Europe\u2019s fourth highest points scorer).<\/p>\n
Next best: Tony Jacklin, Jose Maria Olazabal & Martin Kaymer 6 points, Ian Woosnam & Justin Rose 5 points.<\/p>\n